Satin
by u-he · Saturation · Tape machine emulation
Not rated yet
Tape machine emulation covering tape saturation, noise reduction encoders, delay and flanging.
Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering, Drums. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: tape, flanger, hardware emulation, full mix, repair, drums, flutter, wobble, bus processing, glue, mastering, mix bus, mixing, modern, preset-driven, single-band, vintage.
What it does
Satin is u-he's tape machine plugin, covering tape saturation, transient smoothing and compression, plus delay and flanger modes.
- Studio mode: the main tape machine, with 5 circuit models and EQ curves (Flat, IEC 7.5 ips, IEC 15 ips, NAB, AES 30 ips), tape speeds from 1.87 to 30 ips, and vintage and modern tape material.
- Service Panel: hiss, wow and flutter, bias, head gap, azimuth, saturation and high-frequency compression.
- Noise reduction: 5 encoder/decoder models.
- Delay and Flange modes: a delay with 2 or 4 virtual tape heads, and through-zero flanging.
- Extras: internal sample rate up to 384 kHz, a group panel for up to 8 instances, 120+ presets and NKS support.
Version 1.3.3 (March 2024).
When to use it
Use it when you want tape treatment with real control over the machine (speed, bias, head gap, wow and flutter), or a tape delay and flanger in the same plugin. It suits drums, mix buses, synths and full mixes when you want glue and warmth, or an obviously worn tape sound.
For a quick one-knob tape colour, a simpler saturator is faster.
Where to buy
- Best Service: $129
- Plugin Boutique: $129
- PluginFox: $129
- AudioDeluxe: $129
- u-he: $146.48 (Listed at €129; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
Tutorials and reviews
- U-he Satin : Emulating a Multi-track Tape Machine
- u-he Satin Basics, Part 1: Studio
- THE BEST TAPE SIMULATION?!? || U-HE Satin
- U-HE Satin Tape Emulation Plug-in Review
- U-he Satin : Tape Delay On a Lead Synth
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